The Grand Sophy

Sophy is the 19-year-old daughter of Sir Horace Stanton-Lacy, a widower who numbers princes, prime ministers, and potentates among his acquaintances, and who has taught Sophy to ride, shoot, and defend herself as capably as any man. She also handles his business affairs, and at a time when women were supposed to defer to men, her spirit, determination, and beauty have made her a legend in several European capitals. But she is a stranger to London, and when her father is sent on a diplomatic mission to Brazil, he persuades his sister, Lady Ombersley, to introduce Sophy to London Society.